Are you ready to Give Like a Mother? In this edition of The Heart of CMC, we’re featuring our friends at G.L.A.M. aka Give Like a Mother, based in Clermont County, Ohio on the East side of Cincinnati. They welcomed us in for a special behind-the-scenes tour, and we got to interview their founder and executive director, Amy Vann, along with some staff, volunteers, and their wonderful interns! Read on below for what they do for kids and families in the Greater Cincinnati area and how you and your family can get involved.
What is Give Like a Mother?
Give Like a Mother (G.L.A.M.) is a materials assistance program focusing on providing clothing-type products to impoverished children in our area who not only need clothes to survive but also to succeed. Studies show that children who are provided these items improve their self-image, which directly correlates to increased confidence and improved chances of success. Cincinnati has the second highest child poverty rate in the nation, with over half of its children living below the poverty line. Give Like a Mother was founded in late 2017 and has provided over 6,000 clothing packs to children in need already. G.L.A.M.’s success is 100% dependent on donors and volunteers. “There’s no such thing as other people’s children” is one of their main taglines, and it’s so true.
How Does Give Like a Mother Work?
Donations of gently used clothing and shoes, along with NEW socks and underwear from size newborn to 6XL are accepted at 299 Haskell Lane, Building C, Batavia, OH 45103 in their drop box or by appointment in person. They also have vans and will pick up from you! Once the item donations are in their building, they start in the receiving area where they are initially sorted by male and female and given an initial inspection for tears and rips, staining, etc.
There are volunteers that sew items that can be repaired, volunteers that wash shoes and put in new shoelaces, those that wash clothing, and others that go shopping for items they need to fill the gaps from what has been donated. After initial sorting, items move to sections separated by male and female to fill bins by sizes and types. Newborn and toddler packs are made in their own area. The rest of children and teen/young adult items are hung in rows that remind you of Once Upon a Child! It is so well organized and such an impressive operation.
Those in need can make requests twice a year. Give Like a Mother does a Spring/Summer pack and a Fall/Winter pack. Getting to see the staff, volunteers, and interns so passionate about putting together the best outfits for each of the kids is incredibly heartwarming. G.L.A.M. takes the time to get notes on what kids’ favorite colors and characters are and is painstaking in their search to make sure every child/teen gets at least one thing in their pack that is specially picked just for them.
How Can You Give Like a Mother?
There are three main ways to get involved –
1) Give Items
The biggest and easiest way you can get involved is to donate gently used clothing and shoes. The next time you go through your and your kids’ closets, consider donating to G.L.A.M. instead of other possible organizations. They do NOT accept toys or baby equipment (cribs, strollers, etc.). Give Like a Mother is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Tax-deductible receipts available upon request. Check their website regularly for the items they need most. They also keep a Greatest Needs List on Amazon. Their Amazon Wish List has links for new socks and underwear that are needed.
2) Give Funds
Would you rather just give a monetary donation? Your generous gift helps fund their mission of providing for those in need. Does your company want to get involved? Ask them about their Corporate Sponsorship Program! Want a passive way to donate funds from doing your usual shopping on Amazon that you do anyway? Use their AmazonSmile link at no extra charge to you. Another intentional way to get involved is to participate in their Sponsor-a-Child Program for just $10/month and clothe a child for an entire year.
3) Give Time
Finally, get involved by giving back your time to a great cause that directly affects our local community. Staff Volunteers typically donate two or more hours a week of their time to a variety of functions: fulfilling clothing requests, sorting, inventory, housekeeping, laundry, mending, driving, shoe cleaning, organizing, and warehouse management. Volunteer Groups can participate in both on-site and off-site group tasks. Students needing service hours or internships can help with website design, date entry, data management, social media management, clothing drive sponsorships, grant writing, marketing, warehouse management, research, and being a school ambassador. Have a professional talent and want to donate your services? Give Like a Mother can always use help with legal counsel, accounting/financial counsel, web design, marketing, corporate outsourcing, grant writing, fundraising, and research. Sign up to be a volunteer with the link HERE.
“I walked into a store the other day with my GLAM t-shirt on and the clerk said, ‘My daughter got clothes from you, and she wants to look like her friends, and this is the only way she can.’ It was so, so sweet that she could have that opportunity to fit in. That’s really the mission.” – Brenda Bradford, GLAM Volunteer
Watch the video of our interview with them and meet their founder and fellow Cincy mom, Amy, and some of their amazing crew!
Cincinnati Mom Collective is proud to announce that we’ll be partnering with Playhouse in the Park in 2023 at their new building quarterly with a fun craft/activity for the kids and a chance to give back in a central part of our city. We’ll take donations that G.L.A.M. will pick up, and you and your family will have the chance to get service hours in by helping do the initial sort by male and female styles. Stay tuned for us to start announcing these give-back events!
Give Like a Mother is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
